Nursing the Future
by SilverWolf7
Summary: Rory is enlisted into Star Fleet where he is tasked by the Doctor to look after Spock.  Problem is, he hasn't been told what kind of danger Spock is in, and he doesn't know much at all about Vulcans, let alone Star Fleet.  The things he does for Amy...
1. Chapter 1

Hey all! Welcome to a short, yet chaptered story of mine. This idea got stuck in my head and refused to leave, so here I am writing it before I get back to working on both 'Hope' and 'Help!' This one, as you have all noticed by now is a Doctor Who and Star Trek crossver, a true crossover this time, unlike my 'Never Meet Your Heroes' story, in which the Doctor takes Rose to visit Spock.

This one involves an unknown danger towards Spock while he is in the Academy, and Rory Williams, being a nurse and companion who is a compassionate human who doesn't judge by species, is sent to join Star Fleet Academy himself to try and help when the danger happens. Too bad he wasn't told what the danger was when he joined the situation.

* * *

Nursing the Future

He still had no idea why he was doing this. All he knew was that the Doctor had told him it was important and, naturally, Amy had been just as adamant though for completely different reasons.

As it stood, he had a very short, brief and rather exhausting crash course on how to use a tricorder and got a basic list of drugs and their purposes for the hypospray he now owned and wondered when his life had turned into an episode of Star Trek. Literally. Well, sort of.

He shuffled his feet outside the door to the dorm room he had been designated, wondering how he was possibly going to pass a combat course, as he was going to go in as a nurse, but still needed to do the self defence classes and learn how to use a phaser. In Star Fleet. _The_ Star Fleet. He wasn't even a big fan of Star Trek and he was the one that had to do this...

Amy would have been much better off at this, except there were two problems with that. One, she wasn't in the medical field, and that is apparently what was needed and b) she was female and dorms were still divided by sex.

The Doctor, damn him, had somehow managed to secure his roommate without any troubles whatsoever.

He was thinking this was a very bad idea. What the hell did he know about Vulcans, except they had pointy ears, green blood and valued logic over emotion? And that their planet was basically one big desert.

He guessed heat was important. Hopefully the room wouldn't be kept too hot. He was used to English weather after all. In fact, right now San Francisco was reminding him a lot of home. Raining.

Taking a deep breath, he put his hand to the panel that would identify him as a boarder in the room and the door opened for him. He kept his cool, considering he'd seen much more futuristic places now. But the science behind it still made him giddy with happiness. It was one good thing about travelling with the Doctor.

Stepping in, he found that the room temperature was the same inside as it had been outside in the hallway and he frowned. That couldn't be right. He knew the rooms had controls to adjust temperature.

He looked around the small room. Two beds, two desks with what looked like computer access, two drawers and a wardrobe to share for clothing, and a tiny separate bathroom with a sink, toilet and shower. Oh god, he'd never had a sonic shower, though the Doctor did have them on board the TARDIS. He hoped there were still water showers here as well as sonic.

And sitting on the floor in front of a weird statue thing was his roommate. Who was now looking at him with dark eyes and a blank stare.

Oh yeah, Amy had told him Vulcans meditated. Oops.

"Sorry. I'm Rory Williams, your roommate. Have you chosen a bed?"

Those eyes took in the two beds, before returning to look at him. He shivered and shuffled from foot to foot.

"I am Spock. I will have the bed closest to me. It will be sufficient."

It wasn't until then that he realised how much trouble he was in with this plan. With a monotonous voice and eyes that were blank for the most part, he had no idea how to read a Vulcan. His language was very precise and matter of fact.

"Okay. I'm sorry I interrupted your meditation."

An eyebrow was raised at that, before he got a slight nod. "Your apology is unnecessary. I was about to stop. There will be a student advisor coming shortly to talk to us."

Rory suddenly felt like he was back in med school, with weapons training included. He quickly looked down at his watch and frowned. "I arrived late. Figures... Believe me, I don't usually make a habit of doing so. My ride was a...little bit off."

"I have had little experience with the public transport systems here on Terra, but I assure you that it is understandable that taking such transportation is likely to make your arrival late."

He grinned and nodded. He had actually arrived by TARDIS, but in a way it was like the most unreliable public transport that was privately owned there is in the universe. "Yeah, it is a bit bad." Well, at least it seemed that this wouldn't be a total waste of time. Who knew Vulcans also had a sense of humour.

He had no idea whether or not their conversation would have continued on, as a chime outside the door indicated that their student advisor had arrived. They called out enter at the same time, and a man in an instructor's uniform came in. Rory wondered if he was supposed to salute, but since his roommate didn't, he didn't bother himself.

"Gentlemen, I am Doctor Travers and I will be your student advisor for your stay here. If you have any questions about your classes, your lodgings or if there are any troubles you are having I am the one you will come to speak to. Your uniforms will arrive tomorrow, though I will need to take your measurements now for the records."

It was done with military precision, and not one word was wasted. In a short amount of time, both he and Spock were measured and given relevant information and a tour about the grounds and were escorted to the cafeteria last where they would be eating.

"I hope you will be able to find your room. I can be found in the science department. Both of you will spend time there, I am sure of it. Goodnight."

Rory blinked after the man and shifted on his feet. "Why do I get the sudden feeling that I really don't belong here..."

"Illogical. This is a place anyone can come. If you are found to be incompetent in the field you are studying, they will find some other place for you without much trouble."

He frowned at that. "I am a nurse. I'm going to be in medical. It's the whole military part of this I'm worried about. Not failing the tests I need."

Spock tilted his head slightly to one side and raised an eyebrow at him. "Ah, understood. I have similar doubts. Vulcans are a pacifist race. Though my ancestors were bloodthirsty and we are still taught self defence, we no longer fight unless truly necessary. It is considered...barbaric."

He nodded. "I would prefer looking after people, not fighting people. Though I do understand the need for it sometimes. I've been in situations where fighting skills would have saved me from being hurt..."

Spock turned to him and his head was tilted slightly to one side. "I have found myself in similar situations. It is one reason I am here."

He had no idea what that meant and the confusion must be showing on his face. His roommate didn't say anything else though, opting to go towards the cafeteria line to get dinner. He went back to their room instead. He still had to unpack, and he didn't want to disturb the Vulcan later if he decided to do anything else requiring quiet and or concentration.

It wasn't until the curfew arrived (10pm, ouch) and they were stuck in the room together that he noticed how _young_ Spock was. Amy had gotten him prepared to meet someone around his own age, mid 20's, maybe even early 30's. Instead he was rooming with a boy.

Spock was tall and thin and very straight in the way he tried to carry himself. His limbs still had the awkwardness of adolescence, seeming too long for his body. Rory knew that he had to be at least 18, but in that moment he found he was thinking that he was looking at a 16 year old boy.

His young companion had his shower first, coming back into the room without a single drop of water having touched him, clean, refreshed and wearing a black pair of thick pyjamas. Rory went in after him, carrying his own sleep wear. His answer as to whether there was water showers included was answered with a most emphatic no.

Scowling, he stripped off his clothes, stood in the cubicle and pressed the button to make it go. He sucked in his breath when he felt his whole body being cascaded by what felt like miniature ripples across his skin. The dirt, sweat and general unclean feeling he had come to take on over the course of the day was almost bounced right off his skin by the vibrations.

He decided all in all, that while he much preferred water showers, sonic was at least effective in doing its job. Though god knew how long it'd take him to get used to the change.

He wished right then for a good, old fashioned bath tub to soak in.

Getting changed, he went back into the main room and wondered what to do for the night before he went to bed. Since classes didn't start the next day, but the day after, he could at least try to sleep in, though he was, by habit, a morning person. He looked around the room again, his eyes setting on the computer on the desk that was nearer his bed.

Well, he may as well see if he could contact Amy and the Doctor. He had been given the TARDIS's number to call when he felt the need to. Might as well let them know that he was now an official Star Fleet cadet.

And boy did that thought sound weird, even in his own head.

Spock was having a quiet conversation of his own, so he decided not to interfere or butt in there. He had the feeling it wouldn't be appreciated. Instead, he went over to his bag, scrounged around in it until he found the comm. number the Doctor had written down for him, and went to his own computer.

He slowly put in the number, following the instructions that were written down to get the number saved in the data of the comp and stared at it for a few seconds. It was a complicated system, but he was sure once he got used to it, he'd be able to do it pretty much off by heart.

He hit the button to call the number and in a few seconds he was looking at the grinning faces of Amy and the Doctor.

"Oh, there he is. My husband, in Star Fleet! Rory, you are the best!"

He grinned at Amy and nodded. "Well, you know me, anything to try out something new when it comes to my job. Can't get any newer than this. I can call regularly if you want? Not every day I don't think, probably be tired after some of these classes. Doctor, did you know I have to do basic combat training and self defence?"

The Doctor blinked and ah'd at him. "I knew there was something I forgot. They are still a brand of military, Rory. I know you're a nurse, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't be trained to defend yourself or your patients in a combat zone. Sorry, must have slipped my mind."

"Yeah, on purpose I bet."

"Why would I do that?" The Doctor said and gave him an odd look, which he decided was confusion. Whether it was real or not was another thing entirely.

"I have no idea. You look after Amy while I'm here. Come and visit sometime, when breaks are on. I'm sure they have breaks at some stage. I haven't got my timetable yet."

"Oh, what about your uniform? I can't resist a man in uniform."

"No, Amy, I'll be getting that tomorrow. I got measured for it though, so it'll fit at least."

She grinned at him and winked. "Well, I'll want to see you in it next time we talk."

He nodded and was about to say something more when a knock was heard on the door, followed by a loud "Lights out, cadets."

Grimacing, he shook his head. "Well, I've got to go now. Night Amy, I'll miss you. Night Doctor."

"You won't miss me too, Rory? I'm insulted."

Grinning, Rory punched the end call button and turned off the monitor. Slowly turning around, he found his roommate finishing up his own conversation. Shrugging, he climbed into his bed and sighed. Well, he hoped he at least fell asleep soon. And, at least he had been able to talk to Amy before lights out.

He thought that perhaps a conversation again would start, if out of awkward first night together nervousness. Instead, Spock crawled into his own bed, called lights out and the room was plunged into silent darkness.

He closed his eyes and forced himself to accept the situation. There probably would never be late night talks with the lights off. It was completely different to what he was used to.

Still, he had agreed to do this for not only the Doctor and Amy, but the future of several different species of sentient life forms, including his own, the human race.

Spock it seemed was a Very Important Person.

Too bad he had no idea what exactly the danger that was to happen to his new roommate was. No idea at all.

It could be anything.


	2. Chapter 2

Geh, one or two things in this chapter I am not sure about, but apart from that, hope you like.

* * *

Chapter Two

The first few months were a blur of ever constant activity for Rory.

Classes were a lot more difficult than he was expecting, though he was learning a lot of interesting things about medical technology and advances that were yet developed in his time. While he was a nurse and not a doctor, both were taught classes together, including medicines, medical terminology and about diseases that haven't gotten anywhere near Earth in his own century.

He was thrilled by the chance to get to learn and when he wasn't in classes he was busy studying, talking every now and then to Amy and the Doctor, or sleeping.

He and Spock fell into a quiet, yet workable agreement in which they somehow managed to fit in both their homework studying sessions and Spock's daily meditation.

They even had some classes together, mainly ethics and basic alien language. It was considered good form to at least try to learn at least one. They both had gone with Andorian, which, he had soon learnt, were the blue skinned, white haired people of the Federation. He also knew of the Tellarites, a race he thought of as pig-like in looks.

He was failing that class abysmally, since the TARDIS was still translating for him and he couldn't distinguish what was Andorian and what was English. For that matter, he couldn't tell when Spock was speaking in his own home language, or if Federation Standard was the same as English. Thankfully, it wasn't a class he needed to pass to become a nurse.

He soon found out that while not exactly common, there had been Andorian and Tellarite students coming and going in small groups. Spock was the first Vulcan to have joined the Academy.

It was a worry he knew Spock was hiding from him. Over the weeks, while he hadn't managed to decode Vulcan body language very far, he had spotted that outside their room, he seemed to be tenser.

Rory had once been sure that, once he had gotten used to being surrounded by humans and other emotionally expressive peoples, he'd settle down a bit.

He had found out by accident that Spock was sensitive in the whole touch telepathy area.

It had been during Ethics class, and a girl, Justine Yeardley by name, had been subtly flirting with him. Spock tended to miss subtle, and had no clue. Until she had reached out and put her hand on top of his. He had never seen his roommate so animated beforehand. Or since for that matter.

Justine had gotten into trouble over the incident, since it was clearly in violation of personal space and cultural norms. No one had ever tried to touch him again since. Rory was relieved he had been told by Amy that there was a no touching rule when it came to Vulcans. Now at least he knew why.

The tenseness since that incident had been getting worse, not better, so much so that he had been picking up little things that he normally wouldn't. Nervousness in Spock's eyes around females that smiled at him, a tightening in the back which must ache by the end of the day during classes and he seemed to be completely off food. And sleep.

He was sure that Spock hadn't been sleeping for at least the past two weeks.

If he was human, Spock would likely be dead, or would have fallen asleep by now. Somehow, Vulcan physiology seemed able to withstand long periods of time without sleep or food. He wondered how long a Vulcan could go without water, though he knew Spock at least kept himself hydrated. He seemed to still be wholly fascinated by how much water was on Earth.

Rory had started getting clinic duty to show his skills in medicines and had yet been able to confront his roommate with the issues, but he knew he'd have to sooner rather than later, or Spock was heading for a breakdown. Or an eating disorder. Whichever came first.

The worst thing was that no one else had asked him about Spock. Not even the instructors, who were tasked in teaching them. No one seemed interested in a lone Vulcan that seemed, to him, to be self-destructing.

He had told Travers about it and had been told that, while in periods of extreme concentration or stress sometimes Vulcans did go without food and sleep and that it wasn't odd behaviour. To the rest of the school, there was absolutely nothing wrong.

Rory knew there was something bothering his roommate. He could tell. And no one seemed to be taking him, or Spock, seriously.

It was like being in his time period all over again. He had always been pushed aside, told to keep his head down and do his job like he was told and to stop pestering the other people around him. No one ever seemed to take him seriously. It annoyed him usually, but usually someone wasn't in danger. He wasn't too sure how long Vulcans could go without food or sleep, but he was really beginning to worry.

A tap on his shoulder made him jump, and he quickly looked to his side, where one of the instructors was frowning at him. "You aren't concentrating, cadet. It could become dangerous in a high risk situation."

Nodding, Rory sighed. "I know, sir. I'm worried about my roommate."

"You're with the Vulcan, right?"

He blinked. Why was it half the people never even bothered using Spock's name? It seemed that most of the people in the Academy decided he was called The Vulcan. "Umm, Spock, yeah."

"Then there's no need to worry. Vulcans are solitary, especially around humans, by choice. We are too emotional for them and his shields are probably always in place."

Shields? No one told him about any shields. He hadn't seen any physical shields so it must be a psychic one. But why? To stop all the emotional waves coming off everyone? How strongly telepathic _were_ Vulcans? He'd had quite a few vividly sexual dreams about Amy lately and didn't want his roommate to be seeing them along with him.

"I think it's more a stress thing. He hasn't been eating or sleeping and he hasn't had problems with classes and I've been told that Vulcans will stop looking after themselves if too stressed."

The instructor shrugged, shook his head and scowled. "Well, you could always give him a sedative. That'd fix up the sleeping problem. He'd go out like a light. And just drag him to the cafe to eat."

Rory rolled his eyes once the instructor had walked away from him, packed up his med kit he had been using for the day and, instead of putting it up, he pocketed it for use later. A sedative might actually come in handy at this point...but there was no way he was going to be dragging Spock anywhere. If he didn't want to eat, he'd ask why not. He'd hopefully get an answer, since he had found out that it was unlikely his roommate would lie.

He decided to try and find as much as he could on Vulcan physiology instead in the computers for the rest of his time in the sick bay, as it wasn't too busy and the other cadets would be plenty enough to go through what was needed. He was left on his own to do as he wanted.

He gave up not too long afterwards when he found that most data on Vulcans he actually already knew. They seemed to be a very private race. Shutting down the computer, he looked around, saw that he really wasn't needed, and with a shrug, left for his room.

He checked his watch before entering, grimacing as he noted that it was still a little early, and he was probably going to interrupt Spock's meditation.

Knowing he would rather study than stay out here and wait, and considering he had nothing else to do, he sighed slightly to himself and opened the door. Stepping into the room, he had already begun speaking before he noticed the obvious.

"Spock, sorry to interrupt you, but I left early today...to...oh."

Rory relaxed for the first time in what felt like days. Spock was lying on his bed, looking as peaceful as he had ever seen his roommate, fast asleep. There was no need for sedatives, no need for any intervention at all, since he had also spotted a tray which had once held a quite large salad on it at a guess.

He was eating and he was sleeping. Maybe he had just been doing so during the period he had been giving Spock for meditation, though usually when he got back early Spock was doing what he had set aside the time for. Also, another thing to let that theory go to waste was that Spock hadn't woken up when he had started loudly talking. Vulcans had extremely sensitive hearing and he woke Spock up accidentally after waking up himself after a nightmare or erotic dream.

To not wake up after he had barged in speaking at a normal volume stated that Spock was exhausted.

He went to his console and decided to work on homework for his other classes and let his roommate sleep. He had gotten through the majority of what he needed doing that night, when he felt eyes on him.

Turning around he found he was being intently watched by wide eyes. It took a few seconds for it to register in Rory's brain that he was seeing Spock's scared look. "Nightmare?"

He got a slight nod in acknowledgement to that, and Rory frowned. There was definitely something bothering his roommate. One of the first things Spock had told him one night was that Vulcans who were keeping up with their meditation didn't dream. So, either Spock had stopped meditating, or he was very troubled.

"Want to talk about it?"

Sighing, Spock curled himself up in a more comfortable position on his bed and continued looking at him. "I have been concentrating on an experiment I have been conducting in the science labs. I have had less time to meditate while my mind was on other things. I am overly tired because of it. I have nightmares if too tired."

Rory relaxed at that. So he had been doing something else to concentrate on, it was just at times he hadn't known about it. Seems his roommate has been putting the time set aside for him to other uses lately. Well, that was fine by him. "Oh, alright. I was becoming worried something might be wrong, but Travers told me that Vulcans stopped eating and sleeping if they were busy with other things. I thought it was stress related."

Spock didn't answer back, just continued staring at him, until he closed his eyes and went back off to sleep again. Considering it was nearing time he usually went to sleep, he decided to finish off what he was doing and go to bed himself.

At least everything was in working order with his roommate. He could now finally stop worrying himself over nothing but a Vulcan habit Spock couldn't help.

He had already noticed that once something truly had his attention, nothing short of death would stop Spock from seeing it through to the end. Science was Spock's thing. It was only natural after all.

Maybe the Doctor had been grossly overstating things. This was not much of a problem at all, and if push comes to shove, he could always ask him out of the labs to get him to eat, or take him meals there. And he still had the sedatives.

This wasn't so bad...

So, why was there a niggling thought in the back of his mind that told him that this was not the full problem and that there was something else going on that Spock had left out?

Rory would soon discover what was really wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

I had to rewrite most of this chapter after my huge data loss from months before. I find I like this version better than the original anyway, so here it is.

* * *

Chapter Three

It happened two weeks after he found Spock asleep in their room.

It had started plainly enough, with their early morning habits played out the way they always were, with Spock using the bathroom first and he afterwards. They went to the cafeteria and ate breakfast, same as always now Spock was eating, and then they separated to go to their first classes of the day.

It was one of his days in the clinic. Since losing the majority of his worry over Spock, he had been gaining access to clinic duties more and more regularly. The more time he got in there, the more likely he was going to be able to pass his classes and find a position on a starship. Not that he'd go that far, of course, but it'd be a lot of help on the TARDIS all the same.

God help him, he was going native. He enjoyed being a member of Star Fleet and he had made friends here he thought he'd never make.

He didn't think anyone else would have any true problems with anything, except for the most minor scuffle over who got better scores on exams. Typical uni or college worries. So, when he got a call from Spock, he hadn't been thinking that anything was wrong. He sometimes called to ask about things he didn't quite understand about human behaviour.

He had answered that he would be there as soon as possible and hung up. So, when he got out of clinic early, he had been a little angry at Spock. Not for answering his call, but for getting him out of clinic duty for something he knew wasn't an emergency.

His anger vanished as soon as he stepped into the room and saw his roommate. "Spock? What happened?!" He was at Spock's side in seconds, getting out his personal medical tricorder and scanning the mess he found.

"I got into a fight..."

Rory knew that, it was glaringly obvious who had lost it too. "Why? Who did this?"

Spock shook his head and licked his lips. Rory winced at the action, as his scan had shown a mild concussion. "I don't know..."

"You've got a mild concussion. What did they do, hit your head against a wall?"

Spock cleared his throat. "Yes. That was part of what they did. Repeatedly."

Ouch. "And you have no idea why?"

Spock looked at him, and he knew from that expression that he had some idea what it might have been but wasn't sure. He wouldn't get an answer that was an affirmation or a negative response until he had sorted it out. The concussion wouldn't help.

"Come on, I should really get you to the clinic. Get you properly patched up. You've got some bruising to go with your injured head."

"No! No clinic..."

Rory glared down at his roommate and scowled. "You're injured. I haven't got the equipment in here to fix your head and you've got some pretty bad bruising around your face and torso. I can tell you what is wrong, and I can give you something for the pain, but that's it."

Spock looked at him with the most pleading eyes he had seen yet on a Vulcan. He hadn't known it was possible his usually so reserved roommate could look like that. "I refuse to go to the clinic..."

Sighing, Rory nodded. "Fine, I won't take you if you're sure. But if you fall asleep, I will be waking you up. And I will do so by touching you."

"I accept that alternative."

Of course he did. Spock seemed hell bent on not going to the clinic. "Do you have a fear of doctors? It's not that uncommon in humans."

"Not a phobia. I do not want people to know."

Oh, great. He was afraid of what people would think seeing him like this. It must have happened during or between classes. "The clinic keeps things confidential."

Spock shook his head and Rory winced. "No, it is best that information is not recorded. It could be found and seen."

Alright, that sounded strangely like paranoia. "Is someone after you?"

Eyebrows drew together in a look Rory was familiar with. That line of reasoning confused his Vulcan roommate. "No. Why would you think that?"

He grinned slightly. "You're becoming paranoid. Something that's not normal in you."

Spock blinked at him and turned his head to one side. He sighed. "My father would see, and he would tell my mother and they would pull me from Star Fleet. I do not wish to go home at this time. It is not so much paranoia as...not wishing to alarm my parents."

Oh._ Well, that made sense of a sort_, Rory thought to himself. "Well, alright, but I want to keep a close eye on you for a full 24 hour period. And I _will_ be waking you up to check on you if you fall asleep."

"As you have already stated repeatedly. I understand and accept this. Is there no way to rid me of the bruising?"

He thought quickly through anything he could do right this second, and frowned. "Well, I could get you an ice pack. That helps ease any swelling that may take place. I could get one for you. Maybe see if I can up the energy output on my dermal regenerator to help. It wouldn't do much to this mess, it's just there for small knocks and bruises not bad bruising like this."

"I could do that for you."

"Oh no, you lie there and rest. I'll get you some water to drink. No getting out of bed. Also I want to get a closer look at your head, but I'd need to touch you for that. See if there are any cracks in your skull or bumps that will be obvious soon enough. Sometimes touch will show something tricorders miss. I'll get that ice pack for you if there is."

He could read the indecision on Spock's face, and wondered if he was feeling confused by the concussion or apprehensive over the thought of someone being in skin contact with him. He lifted one of his hands and placed it near, but not on, Spock's temple. "May I?"

After a short nod of acceptance, Rory began to do what he was trained to do, feel out if there is any trouble and try to relieve it the old fashioned way, ice and rest. He was suddenly glad of his 'old fashioned' ways. Not too many people in this time period believed in this form of doctoring any longer, but it was what he knew more than anything.

Slowly, he felt around the temples and forehead, finding one place that would likely swell into quite a bump, but no cracks. It was closed. No signs of any internal bleeding, though there were plenty of broken blood vessels showing plainly through bruising. He had to remind himself that his patient and roommate had green blood, not red and that there was nothing strange at all about the colouring.

"Alright, no broken bone and one place you'll get a bump but other than that you're intact, are you confused or dizzy? Seeing double?"

"A little confused. I am having difficulties concentrating. No double vision. I am slightly nauseous, but not to the point of vomiting."

"Yeah, that's normal. Along with a splitting headache that could last between a few days to a few months. Want anything for pain?"

"No. Pain medications leave me with an upset stomach. I would prefer to avoid that. Hybrid physiology is sometimes...quite a pain."

Rory couldn't help it. He grinned and nodded. It was probably not meant as a joke, but regardless it sounded like one. And he knew by now that his roommate was half human, but mostly Vulcan. He'd seen his mother in the background enough times to know that she was definitely all human. There was always a nearby photo of Spock's parents by his bedside. Rory himself kept one of Amy always nearby.

As if that was meant as some kind of cosmic signal Rory hadn't quite figured out yet, but probably had to do with coincidence or perhaps he was just fated to have bad luck, Spock's comm. began to chime.

There was only one person who ever called his roommate and that was his mother.

He shared a look with Spock, because both knew that his mother knew that at this time Spock was always available to talk to her. He went out of his way to make sure he was available, and if he was going to be busy, usually quickly messaged her to not call. Spock must have forgotten to message her, not too surprising given a head injury.

"I'll answer it. Tell her you've bumped your head pretty hard and need to lie down. I know she'll worry, but I am a certified nurse and quite capable of caring for someone with a mild concussion. It would be better though to just tell her what happened."

Spock's eyes widened slightly at that. "I don't want my father to know. She will tell him."

Shaking his head, he glared back. "I am not going to lie for you, Spock."

That seemed to pause his roommate from any more objecting. He watched as Spock blinked slowly, before turning his head away. It was the closest to permission he was going to get. Before the call could be disconnected, Rory answered it, and there, smiling at him on the screen was the image he saw daily in that one photo. Spock's mother.

The smile faded into the look of a worried mother as soon as she realised it wasn't her son who had answered.

"Who are you, and where is Spock?"

"I'm his roommate, Rory Williams. Don't worry, he's right here with me, he's just resting. He has a mild concussion but I'm a nurse and can look after him well enough on my own. He got into a fight earlier today."

He saw the look of disappointment in her eyes and he was slightly confused by that before she spoke next. "I was hoping he would stop being bullied on Earth. He had enough of that on Vulcan."

Suddenly things began making a lot more sense to Rory concerning his roommate. He also now understood the reasoning for him having been put in this position. The danger was something he understood and would probably be a problem correcting.

Spock had learnt to accept bullying and to never fight back. Human bullies testing him weren't going to like that one bit from an alien. His roommate had proven himself an easy target.

He shared a look with this woman who had known Spock his entire life and nodded. "This is going to be a problem." He glanced over to his still roommate only to see him averting his gaze away from the comm. port. Shame. He knew that emotion personally.

How was one supposed to help someone reach a healthy conclusion to an emotional problem when they refused to accept emotion to begin with?

Well, first thing first... "Ma'am, I need to know how he was bullied on Vulcan. I doubt Spock will speak of it, but I do need to know if I'm going to help stop this."

"Oh, please, call me Amanda. It's always nice to see someone else on Spock's side. He's had so few people fight for him."

He listened close after that to everything Amanda had to say.

By the time they had ended their call, Rory had some ideas as to how to try and stop the bullying. He still had no idea how to help boost his roommates self esteem though. Spock had, at some stage during the talk, fallen asleep. Leaning over, he nudged one of Spock's feet and was rewarded with a grunt and a sleepy but unslurred "What?" almost right away. Good, he was responsive. It was safe to let him sleep it off.

"Just checking your waking response. I told you I would. You're doing well, Spock. You can go back to sleep now if you want."

Once Spock was sleeping soundly again, Rory checked the time and saw it was still before lights out. He went over to his own comm. console and quickly made a call to Travers. With any luck, their advisor would arrive before the call came for lights out.

He didn't want to wait for morning to have this conversation.


End file.
